Forks High
by jlm8808
Summary: Bella Swan isn't popular. In fact, everyone acts as though she's invisible. So when the newcomers at school seem to take an interest in her, what will the rest of Forks High think? All human. ExB
1. Chapter 1

Beep...beep...beepbeepbeep!

I rolled over and turned my alarm clock off. Great. Another day at wonderful Forks High, the local high school in lovely Forks, Washington. Today was the start of a brand new school year. Maybe even a brand new start to how I was treated by the population at Forks High. I snorted.

_Yeah, right_, I thought._Like that's going to happen. What, Isabella. You thought that maybe, after 11 years of going to the same school with the same bunch of people, that something would be different? Don't delude yourself._

I sat up and got out of bed. I stumbled, catching myself on the edge of my dresser. I picked up some clothes and headed to the bathroom to get ready for the day. As I looked at myself in the mirror, I noticed something red on my hand as I brushed my hair out of my face. I looked at my left hand and noticed a sizable gash in the palm of my hand. _Great. Another scratch. I'm going to have to be more careful._

After I got ready I grabbed my school stuff from my room and headed downstairs to the kitchen to get something to eat before heading to school. I looked at the clock above the sink and started to panic. I was going to be late for school if I didn't hurry and leave the house. I grabbed a muffin and walked quickly outside to my truck. I started it, jumping slightly as I started it since it was so loud. I drove as fast as I could, the speed limit allowing, and got to the high school with ten minutes to spare. As I pulled into the parking lot, I saw that the only spot open was in front of a silver Volvo, something that stood out amongst the other, older cars. _Hmm. Maybe we have new students this year. Maybe this year will be more interesting._


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you all who read and reviewed! I appreciate it! A special shout-out to 5253Racer and jerzeychick375 for being the first reviewers! Thanks!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Twilight. Only the great Stephenie Meyer does. :**

**Ch. 2**

As I turned my truck off and got the keys out of the ignition I grabbed my school bag and got out of the truck. I started walking toward the auditorium, where all the students were supposed to meet up to hear the principal, Dr. Eastley, give a speech on how he expected all of us to act like grown men and women and how he hoped he wouldn't have to see many of us in his office this year. I walked into the auditorium and looked around for my best friend, Jill. She and I had known each, as well as everyone else, since we were in diapers. She was the only person who had cared enough to stick with me all these years. I saw her near the middle and started to walk to her.

"Hey, Bella."

"Hey, Jill. Anything new?" I asked as I sat down.

"Now that you mention it, yes. There are a bunch of new students! And they are good-looking, if you know what I mean," she said as she winked at me. I knew what she meant and started to ask her more, but Dr. Eastley started his speech on the importance of attending our classes and being good little boys and girls that we heard every year. Needless to say, I drowned him out. Jill poked my side as he was finishing up, though.

"Now," Dr. Eastley announced after he finished his speech, "we'll have a few words from Coach Story about this year's football team and then your student council president will give his beginning of the year speech."

Everyone started cheering as Doc sat down and Coach Story got on the stage.

"Can I get a round of applause for this year's football team?!" Coach paused as the crowd gave a thunderous welcome to the Coach and his boys. I rolled my eyes. _A school that cares more about sports than anything else? What is the world coming to?_

"Ok. First of all, I want to introduce you to this year's starting defensive line: John Green, Luke Foreman, Michael Waters, Daniel Duncan, Tommy Yarbrough, and Chris Thomas. Our offensive linemen: Tucker Williams, Nathan Rees, Jamie Bridges, Mark Jones, Riley Dunn, Tony Myers, Mike Newton, and newcomer Emmett Cullen as quarterback!" As each guy ran on stage the crowd around me showed their approval by their screaming and yelling. I, not being one to follow the crowd, slid down in my chair until Jill yelled in my ear, "Look. Emmett's one of the new guys I was telling you about!"

I looked on stage at all the guys and noticed the new guy. He looked pretty big, almost like a bear. "He's ok, I guess. Not my type, though," I whispered back to Jill as the crowd settled down. She rolled her eyes. We started talking again and didn't stop until Jeff Smith, the Student Council President, ended his speech. Then the whole auditorium was in an uproar as everyone started heading to their 1st block classes. I had English, which was on the other side of the building, so I didn't waste any time leaving.

As I started walking out the double doors I bumped into someone. "Watch where you're going, Swan. Don't do it again or you'll be sorry that you ever messed with me," said Lauren, Queen of the Blondes **(No offense to anyone!).**

"Whatever," I said as I rolled my eyes.

"Excuse me? What did you just say to me? Did the poor little wannabe actually try to stand up for herself? How pathetic," Lauren said as she and her cohorts laughed. I left them, needing to get to my class before I was late. Luck was on my side. I arrived with two minutes to spare. I slid into my normal seat in the back row.

"Hi," said a voice to my right.

I turned to my right and saw a small, pixie looking girl with dark hair and bright green eyes. "Hey."

"I'm Alice Cullen. I'm new here. What's your name?" she said.

"Isabella Swan. But you can call me Bella. Where'd you move here from?"

"Hey Bella. Umm...we moved here from Massachusetts. The Boston area. I think I'll like it here, though. It seems nice so far. We've been here for two weeks and everyone seems so nice," she said with a smile.

"Wow. You've moved so far! Yeah...it's nice here, I guess. I've lived here my whole life. I can't wait to move somewhere else, though. It gets old after a while," I paused. "You said 'we.' Who all moved here with you?"

"My mom and dad. Oh, and my two brothers. More like two pains in the neck. They're nice when they want to be, I give them that, but sometimes..." she trailed off. "Do you have any siblings?"

"No, it's just me and my parents. It gets lonely sometimes but I have my best friend Jill and we hang out a lot."

Alice started to say something but she was interrupted as the teacher called the class to order. Thankfully, Mr. Mullin let us talk again after going over our syllabus. As the rest of the class buzzed around us, Alice and I started our conversation again.

"By the way, you'll have to meet my brothers later. At lunch, if that's ok?"

"Sure, do you know what lunch you all have? I have 2nd lunch."

"We do, too! Great!" The bell rang as she said this, and we gathered our books. "I guess I'll see you then?"

"Yeah. Definitely," I said as we walked out of the class and headed separate ways.

**I hope you guys enjoyed this! I'll try to update as soon as I can!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything from the Twilight Saga, only Stephenie Meyer does.**

****

Hey you guys! Just a quick author's note! I'm trying to write as quickly as I can, so don't worry, I'll try to have a new chapter out within the next couple to few days. And the next thing: I am SO sorry: I forgot to tell you guys that yes, the Cullens ARE human in this story. And don't worry, the characters that haven't shown up yet (i.e.- Jasper, Rosalie, Carlisle, and Esme) will show up!

**Ch. 3**

The rest of my morning flew by quickly. All of the teachers seemed to understand that since it was the first day of school that no one would really pay attention to anything they tried to say. So basically all we did was go over what we were going to go over this year and then the teacher would let us talk to each other for the remainder of the period. It was a big waste of time, the first day of school was.

As the bell rang for 2nd lunch, I felt kind of nervous. I mean, I don't generally hang out with anyone other than my best friend Jill, but she had last lunch this semester. It's not like I could go sit at Jessica Stanley's table. Jessica and Lauren, A.K.A. the Queen of the Blondes, were the IT girls at Forks High. They hung out with all of the jocks and cheerleaders and made the rest of the school envy them. Well, most of the rest of the school. I noticed, as I walked into the cafeteria, that Jessica and Lauren had managed to secure for themselves two people I had never seen before.

They were blond, with blue eyes, and they were gorgeous. The girl was a supermodel type, with her waist length silky blond hair and deep blue eyes. As I got a better look at the boy, I noticed he was kind of lanky, but still muscular and good looking, too. _No doubt they're both on top of the food chain of the high school pyramid, and they're probably new. I know I've never seen them before. Then again, they could have been here all along and I'm just now noticing them_, I thought as I looked around for Alice Cullen.

I saw her standing at the back of the food line and made my way over to her. "Hey Alice," I said as I approached her.

Her beautiful eyes lit up as she saw me. "Hey Bella! I'm so glad to see you! I thought you would never get here. My brother Emmett is already sitting down. Don't worry, he saved us seats. How was your morning?" she asked as we made our way through the line and started toward the tables.

I followed her lead and said, "Not bad. Boring, but that'll change once classes really get started, you know?"

"I agree. I can't wait to start reading some of the books we were assigned in English. They seem interesting," she said as she stopped at a table. "Oh, here we are. Bella, this is my oldest brother Emmett. Edward should be joining us shortly."

I looked at the table we had stopped at and nodded at Alice's brother. "Hey," I said. "You're the one who got the quarterback position this year, right?" I asked Emmett as Alice and I sat down. "Wow, you must be really good for Coach Story to have picked you, you know, for being a newcomer and all."

He shrugged. "I suppose." He grinned and said, "So, has Alice invited you shopping yet?"

"What? Why? No...I don't even like shopping," I stammered.

"Emmett! Don't scare her," she said as she turned to face me. "Don't listen to him. I don't have some sort of obsession with shopping or something like that, if that's what you're thinking. I know what I want and I get it. Plain and simple. Emmett's a boy. He just doesn't understand," she finished as she glared at her older brother. "By the way, where's Edward? I thought he was going to join us for lunch?"

"Oh, I forgot to tell you. He needed to go talk to the principal about something or other. I don't know. He said he'll try to eat with us. If not, he'll make it up to you by taking you shopping this weekend."

"Oh, well. I guess that's ok. Hey, Bella?"

"Yeah?" I asked.

"Would you want to come shopping with me and Edward this weekend? You know, some girl bonding time?" She must have noticed the look on my face and quickly said, "Oh, you don't have to, if you don't want to. I mean, we could do something else. I know! You could spend the night on Friday and we can stay up watching movies and pigging out on junk food? How about that instead?"

I started to say something but was interrupted by Emmett, "Don't think you're off the hook quite so easily, Bella."

I looked at him and said, "What do you mean?"

"Alice has ways of making people do what she wants. You'll end up going shopping with her one of these days. Don't worry," he said with a grin.

"Shut up Emmett," Alice said stiffly. "What do you say Bella? Girls' night this Friday?"

"Well, I'll have to make sure it's ok with my dad first, but I'm down with it."

"Yay! I'll tell my parents tonight and you can tell me tomorrow morning, ok?"

"Ok," I said as the bell rang for 6th period. "I'll see you guys later."

"Aww, I hate that you missed seeing Edward. You'll see him tomorrow at lunch, though. You'll sit with us, right?" Alice asked.

Still taken aback over the fact that someone had invited me to their home, someone besides Jill, and had now invited me over to their house, I just stared at her.

"Hello...Bella? Are you in there?," Emmett asked as he waved a hand in front of my face He looked at his sister as he said, "Great Alice. I think you broke her."

"What? Oh. Yeah, I'll sit with you at lunch tomorrow. Don't worry," I said with a smile as I headed to my class.

**Hope you guys have enjoyed this chapter! I'll get the next one out as soon as I can! And thank you again to all of my reviewers! I really appreciate it!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. :(**

As I walked to my class I saw Jill. "Jill!" I yelled as I ran to catch up with her. She looked back at me and started walking toward me but I was still kind of running and suddenly I tripped. I fell on the hard, cold floor and laid there for a second before getting up. Everyone around me was laughing, except Jill. She helped me get up and as I stood, I could feel my face turning red.

"Bella, Bella, Bella. What am I going to do with you? You know you can't run around like that, unless you enjoy falling down in front of everyone." She looked at me with a smile. "Well, do you?"

"Of course I don't. I just wasn't thinking. Anyway, I wanted to know what you have next," I said as we started walking again.

"Biology lab with Banner." I laughed. "What?" she asked.

"So do I! That's great, now we have at least one class together," I said, laughing.

"Yeah. Maybe we'll even be partners."

"Not anymore. You just jinxed us! Now I bet I'm going to have to sit by the nerdiest looking guy in school. Either that or...ugh...Mike Newton." I shivered at the thought.

"Oh, come on, Bella. Mike's not that bad. He just has a...a commitment phobia," Jill reasoned.

"That's why he's out with a different girl every Friday?"

"You know what I mean. Anyway, I bet you won't get stuck with him."

"How do you know? You always get the good ones. It's just not fair to the rest of us girls. Maybe this time it's my turn to get the good-looking, smart one and not yours," I said, smiling.

We walked into the class at this point and found an empty table that we sat down at together. "Hah. We get each other," smiled Jill. "No point in worrying about nothing."

"Ok, class. Settle down. I know that today is the first day and all, but we are in class, so that means you need to listen as I call the roll," said Mr. Banner, a middle age balding man.

Jill and I tuned him out quickly after everyone's names had been taken. "It looks as though his hair is running away from his face. My goodness, what does it take to get a good looking teacher around here for once?" I cracked up with her and agreed.

"Seriously. We should have a Jake Gyllenhaal look-a-like. Or maybe even a Bruce Willis," she said dreamily.

"Ah...yeah. That would be the day."

We both stared dreamily at the board, imagining that somehow Mr. Banner never returned and miraculously Bruce Willis was hired. _Hey, a girl can dream, can't she?_, I thought.

I was so involved in my daydream that I didn't notice that Jill was poking me until she hissed my name also.

"What?" I asked. "I was having a good daydream," I pouted.

"Get over it. Look over there, at the table where Mike's sitting."

I looked over to where she was looking and saw the most gorgeous guy ever sitting next to Mike, talking to all the football players around him. He had deep green eyes that seemed to sparkle, beautifully disheveled hair, and a grin worth melting over. "What's his name?" I asked Jill.

"How should I know? I've never seen him. He's new, I guess," she surmised.

I was about to ask her something else but I was interrupted by the bell. We got out of our seats and made our way out of the door and into the hallway. "I have Democracy and Economics next, you?" Jill asked.

"Ugh...I have Pre-calculus. Sorry," I said as I started backing up.

"No problem. I'll call you tonight, ok?" she said, smiling. I nodded, and we turned our separate ways. Suddenly, my books that I was carrying went flying and I fell on something soft.

"Watch where you're going, Swan. I mean, how dense could you be?" I groaned as I heard Jessica Stanley pass by my spot on the floor. I started untangling my legs from the stranger and reached for my books that were all over the place.

"I'm so sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going," said the most intriguing voice I had ever heard.

I looked up to the stranger's face and noticed that it was the guy from my Biology class! I had just run into the most gorgeous guy ever! I started to blush and said, "Oh, no. It was totally my fault." He stood up and offered me his hand.

"I'm Edward Cullen. And you are?" he said as I took his hand and got up. A small current passed through my hand as we held hands and I couldn't help but to wonder if he had felt the same thing.

I stood there, staring at him for a minute before he asked me, "Are you ok? Do you need to go to the nurse's office?" he asked, concernedly.

"What? No. I'm...I'm fine. I'm ok. My name's Isabella...Bella Swan," I said as I blushed even darker. My face was probably the color of a tomato by now, I was sure.

"Nice to meet you Isabella Bella Swan," he said, grinning. "Where are you headed?"

"Pre-cal, with Mr. Varner."

"This must be my lucky day. I'm going there also. Would you care if I join you?"

I shook my head, and we started off to class. I could feel the stares of everyone as we passed by the rows and rows of lockers. _What is the new guy doing with Bella? Doesn't he know that she's a social leper? He must be doing some kind of charity work, how kind._

"Are you sure you're ok?" I looked up and saw Edward's worried face as I snapped out of my reverie.

"Yeah. I just had some things on my mind..." I trailed off. "Wait, did you say your name was Edward Cullen?"

"Yeah, why?" he asked cautiously.

"I met your sister Alice this morning and your brother Emmett at lunch. I like them. They're both very charming."

"Yeah. That is, until you get to know them." He smiled. "I'm just kidding. So, what did you think of them? Other than 'they're both very charming'?"

"Well, Alice invited me to stay over on Friday. Emmett asked me if I she'd asked me to go shopping with her yet," I said slowly.

"You've got to watch out for those two. Alice does love her shopping, and Emmett loves to play practical jokes on just about anyone. Including someone he just met," he said slyly.

"What? You're kidding, right? Then what about you?" I asked as we got to the door of the classroom.

"What do you mean?"

"Well," I said, "you've told me what to look out for in Alice and Emmett, but what about yourself?"

"If I told you, then it wouldn't be any fair would it now? You'll just have to wait and see," he said, with a glint in his eyes. He raised his arm and motioned to the classroom, "After you."

"Why, thank you," rolling my eyes as I said this. Upon walking in the room, I heard mine and Edward's names being called.

"Bella! Edward! Sit here," Alice said as she pointed to a seat behind her and beside her. "Have you guys met yet?"

"We have Biology before this," Edward said. Alice grinned and started to open her mouth to say something, but the teacher started talking.

"Don't worry," she whispered, "I'll get to you guys later." She turned back in her seat and stared at the board, looking smug. I'm sure I looked utterly confused, and as I glanced over at Edward, he shrugged his shoulders as if to say he didn't know what was going on either.

**I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I'll try to update as soon as I can!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. Only Stephenie Meyer does! :)**

All during class I was having a hard time concentrating, due to the fact that Edward was sitting just a couple of feet away from me. I don't think I heard a word Mr. Varner said, and I nearly leapt out of my seat when the final bell rang.

"Someone's a bit jumpy," Alice said, smiling. "What's on your mind?" she asked as all three of us walked out the door to leave.

"Um...I'm just trying to figure out how I'm going to do all this homework Mr. Varner gave us. I can't believe he assigned us homework on the first day of school!" I lied.

"If you want, you could come study with us...maybe we could even order some pizza!" Alice said excitedly.

I looked at her bouncing up and down. "I can't. Not tonight, anyway. I've got to go home and help my dad with dinner. All he knows how to cook is eggs and bacon. It's a shame."

Alice's face fell. "I guess that's fine. But we can study together later, right? I mean, you still have to ask your dad if it's ok if you stay over tomorrow, and we can study a little bit this weekend! After we go shopping, of course! Then all three of us and Emmett, of course, can watch a movie together!"

"Alice. Calm down. Let Bella take a breath before you barrage her with your plans," Edward said.

"Um...yeah. What he said. I'll give you call tonight and we can talk more," I said as I headed toward my truck.

"Talk to you later then!" Alice said as she and Edward started to get in the Volvo that was parked in front of my truck.

"Wow...that's your car?" I asked, amazed.

"It's mine," Edward said, in his velvety voice. "It's my pride and joy." He smiled.

"It's really great. Must be a dream to drive, is it?"

"Yeah. Maybe you could come along with us sometime?" he asked, grinning.

My heart started beating so fast I was sure he could hear it from where he stood. "Yeah. Maybe," I said, blushing. "Well, I've got to go. Bye."

"Good bye," said Edward. "Be safe."

I got into my truck and started it up. I put it in reverse and pulled out of my parking spot, looking up as I put the truck in drive. I glanced at the Cullen's Volvo and noticed both of the Cullens staring at me. Alice, with a knowing smile on her face. Edward, with a heart-stopping sideways grin. _He's going to be the death of me_, I thought as I drove away from the school and back to my house, on the other side of town.

Ten minutes later I was pulling in to my driveway. Charlie, my dad, wasn't back from work yet. He was the good sheriff for the little town of Forks. He had been so since before I could remember. I headed for the front of the house and noticed something that I hadn't noticed that morning due to my rush to get to school. The house next door that had had a 'For Sale' sign in the front yard yesterday now had a 'Sold' card over the 'For Sale.' _New neighbors. I wonder if they have any kids my age. That would be pretty cool._

I started my walk up the sidewalk again and got to the door before I realized that, in the rush I had been in this morning, I had left my house key on the kitchen counter.

"Great," I mumbled. "I guess climbing through my bedroom window is the only option now...either that or waiting for Charlie to get home."

I sat my book bag down on the front porch and walked slowly to the left side of the house. I glanced up. No way was I going to be able to do this, not without some kind of injury occuring.

"Are you ok?" a voice asked from behind me.

I nearly jumped out of my skin. Stunned, I turned around and saw one of the blond teenagers that I had seen at lunch. "What?" I asked.

"I asked, are you ok? Did you lock yourself out?" the blond boy asked.

I nodded.

"Thought so. The name's Jasper. Jasper Hale. I'm new here," he said, offering his hand. I looked at it for a moment and remembered to offer mine too.

"I'm Bella Swan."

"Nice to meet you, Bella Swan. Now let's see what I can do for you." He headed over to the trellis on the side of the house and started climbing up.

"Please, please be careful," I said to the gorgeous boy climbing up the trellis.

"Don't worry. I'll be safe. I'll be in and out in no time. Just go stand by the front door and wait," he called down as he made his way up the side of the house.

I walked back over to the front door, stumbling once on a loose rock. I made it back just in time for Jasper to open it up for me.

"There you go, ma'am," said Jasper, bowing.

"Why, thank you, kind sir," I said, giggling.

"Jasper! Where are you?" a female voice called out. I froze. _A girlfriend or a sister? Maybe it's his mom. But the voice seems kind of young, and he's just moved here so there's no way he could have a girlfriend already. Right? Wait, why am I freaking out all of a sudden? This isn't me...get a grip, Bella_, I told myself silently.

"Wait just a second Bella. I want you to meet someone," Jasper said as he rushed off to the house next door.

_Great. It's probably his girlfriend from back home and he just wants to make sure I know he already has a girlfriend_, I thought as I waited for his return. I waited for a minute and soon Jasper was back. With the most beautiful supermodel-looking girl I had ever seen, the same one that was at lunch with him today. "Bella, this is my sister Rosalie. Rosalie, this is Bella, our new next door neighbor."

"Nice to meet you Bella," Rosalie said, twirling the ends of her beautiful hair as she talked.

"Nice to meet you, too, Rosalie," I said, too stunned by her beauty to say anything else. _Ok, my self-esteem points just went down a few notches._ "Not to seem rude or anything, but I really need to be getting inside to start dinner," I said, apologetically, after a few awkward moments just standing there.

"Oh, that's ok. We need to be going, too. It was nice meeting you Bella Swan," Jasper said with a big grin.

"Hopefully we'll see each other again," he said as Rosalie headed back to their house.

I blushed and nodded, "I hope so too."

As he walked back to his house, I couldn't begin to believe the luck I had today. _Two amazing boys, in one day. Such good luck. Such good luck._

Once I got inside the house I walked to the kitchen and placed my book bag on the kitchen table and opened the refrigerator to see what I could possibly make for dinner. A big fat zero. Nothing._ What am I going to fix now? _I thought.

I decided after I checked out the kitchen cabinets also that a grocery shopping trip tomorrow would be in order. Looking at the clock, I knew that I would need to go ahead and get something fixed before Charlie got home, so I ordered pizza.

The pizza arrived about 10 minutes before Charlie got home, and it was still hot when we sat down together in the living room to watch a basketball game. At one of the timeouts I told Charlie that I was planning on going to get groceries the following evening after school, since

Mom was still in Arizona.

"That's fine. I'll leave some money out for you when I leave in the morning," he said as he turned back to the tv.

"Thanks. Oh...one more thing," I said as I remembered Alice's plans. He turned back to me as I said, "A friend of mine wants to know if I can go over to her house tomorrow night and s the night. Do you mind?"

"Who's the girl?"

"Oh, a new girl. Alice Cullen. She's really nice. You'd like her," I added.

"That's fine. As long as you get your homework finished," he said as he turned back to the game.

"Thanks Dad," I said as I got up and headed toward the kitchen to wash the dishes. After I finished the dishes I headed up to my room to do my homework and get ready for the next day. As I finished my work I got on the Internet to check my email. All I had was some spam and an email from my mom. She said she was doing good and that her flight would be arriving in Seattle on Sunday afternoon. She also mentioned some guy she had met at the convention she had gone to. His name was Phil and he was a minor league baseball player. She talked about him a little bit more and it made my stomach kind of uneasy. I had a bad feeling about him but I just pushed it away. There was no sense in worrying about nothing.

After I finished reading the rest of letter I changed in to my pajamas and laid down in my bed. My thoughts were racing through my head as I tried to get to sleep. I thought about how I had met the Cullens and the Hales today. Especially Edward and Jasper. _I can't wait to see what happens tomorrow. Both guys are really, really extremely good looking. _

The next morning I woke up on time and had time to grab a bite to eat before I grabbed the money I would need for the grocery shopping after school and headed out the door, but not before I remembered to grab my house keys.

As I stepped out onto the front porch I noticed Jasper and Rosalie heading out their front door too.

"Hey you guys!" I said.

"Hey Bella. Good morning," Jasper said as Rosalie headed toward their own car, a red ostentatious BMW. "Did you remember your house key today?" he grinned.

"Yes," I said, blushing as I looked down. "I remembered."

"That's great. So...what lunch do you have?"

"2nd," I said, daring to look up at his eyes. I noticed that they were more of a deep bluish green now that I was standing so close to him.

"I do too. Would you want to sit together today?" he asked.

"Sure. But didn't I see you with Lauren and Jessica yesterday?"

"Yeah, but they seem so fake that I don't think I'll sit with them again. So, do you want to sit together?" he asked.

I gazed up at him and said, "Uh...yeah. Sure."

"Well, I'll see you later then, ok?" Jasper said, as he headed toward Rosalie.

"Ok," I said as I headed toward my own truck. "Later," I said to my self as he got into the car and they took off. I got into my car, started it up and headed in the same direction.

As I got to school I looked for an open spot to park in and found one near Edward's Volvo. He and Alice were just getting out as I pulled in to the spot and got out.

Alice beamed at me and said, "So, Bella. What did your dad say?"

"He said it was ok. But I need to go grocery shopping first, so..." I trailed off.

"That's ok. I can go ahead with you and Alice can take the Volvo," Edward said.

I looked at his face, slightly in awe. "Are you sure? I mean, I can go by myself and then drop the stuff off at home," I started rambling.

"Bella. It's ok. You don't know where we live, and you would get lost if we just gave you the directions," he said as we started walking toward the school.

"It's settled then," Alice said, taking my arm and leading toward our class. "Edward will go with you and I'll take the Volvo and get stuff ready for this evening."

We walked in silence as Alice and I went our way to English and Edward went to his first block class. As Alice walked in, I saw Jill. I told Alice to go ahead and go inside the room while I said hi to Jill.

"Jill! Hey," I said as I walked over to her.

"Hey there Bella. What's up?"

"Nothing. Just headed to English. What about you?"

"Well..."she trailed off, with a smile on her face.

"What? What is it?" I asked.

"Oh, well. I got asked out yesterday afternoon!" she yelled.

"Who asked you? Oh my goodness! Who? Tell me!"

"You have to promise not to say anything negative about it, ok?" she said.

"Ok. Well, just tell me then," I said warily.

"Mike Newton," Jill said in rush.

"What?! Jill, what were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that I wanted to go on a date for once, instead of being looked down upon by everyone. That's what I was thinking Bella, and I thought that as my best friend you would understand," Jill said, angrily.

"I...what...no...you don't understand...Mike?"

"I knew you wouldn't understand. I'll see you later." Jill stomped off to her first block class as I wandered into the classroom behind me.

"Bella, what is it?" Alice asked as I sat down in a daze.

"Jill...Mike...date..." I mumbled. "I can't believe her. I just can't believe her. He's so...so...arrogant and a jock."

"What's so wrong with him?" Alice wondered.

"He's...he's a jock that's a number one jerk. We've known him since we were in kindergarten. Even back then I knew there was something up with him. I never thought that Jill would want to go out with him, though," I said as I shook my head.

"Maybe she's just ready for a change? I mean, I don't know anything about either one of them, but maybe Jill needs to go out with him to find out what she does need to look for, you know?"

"I guess you're right," I said as the teacher walked in. "I'll apologize to her during Biology. Thanks Alice." I flashed her a grateful smile.

"No problem," she said with a smile of her own.

As the bell rang for class to get out Alice said, "I'll see you at lunch, ok?"

"Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention to you...someone asked me to sit with them at lunch...and would you mind if he sits with us?"

"Yeah. I don't mind. Ooh...don't forget that Emmett and Edward are going to sit with us, too, ok?" she reminded me.

"Yeah. I won't forget. Well, I'll see you at lunch. Bye." I said as we headed our separate ways.

The rest of the morning went by pretty quickly, much to my dismay. I was looking forward to sitting with Jasper, but I was kind of nervous too. I mean, it was going to be me, Alice, Jasper, Emmett, _and_ Edward. I couldn't forget the spark I had felt when I held Edward's hand yesterday, even if it was just for a minute or so. I wondered again if he had felt it too.

I walked to the lunchroom and noticed that Alice and her brothers were already seated. I looked around for Jasper and it didn't take very, seeing as how he noticed me as soon as I had walked in the door.

"Bella. Hey," he said as he got closer.

"Hey Jasper," I said, blushing as I did so.

"Ready to get some food?"

"Yeah. Hey, if you don't mind, I already have somewhere we can sit. You can meet some of my friends, if you don't mind, that is..." I trailed off.

"Yeah, that's ok. Anyway, there's hardly any room left anywhere. I was actually looking for a table and was unable to find one, so, yes, I would be honored to meet your friends," he said with a smile.

"Ok. Let's get our food." We headed to the food line and got some pizza. "Just follow me." I led him to the table with Alice, Emmett, Edward, and two other girls. Rosalie and another girl. One that I knew very well. _Great. She's probably here for Edward. What a..._, my thoughts trailed off. Rosalie was nice enough from what little I had seen yesterday afternoon, but the other girl, I didn't know about. I mean, I had known her for a couple of years, but still. I didn't like her one bit. She was as every bit fake as Jessica and Lauren, but without the snobbiness. She was perfect, and she let you know it.

"Hey you guys," I said with a false cheeriness. "You guys, this is Jasper. Jasper, this is Alice, Emmett, Edward, and...Tanya."


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

"Hey. Nice to meet you all," Jasper said.

"Hey," chimed in Alice, Edward, Emmett, and Tanya. Rosalie looked up at her brother as he sat down beside me and smiled.

"Hey Jasper," she said.

"Hey Rose," he said.

"So, let me get this straight," Emmett blurted out, "you two are twins, right?"

"Yes, Emmett, we are. Although, Rosalie here is just a couple of minutes older," Jasper smiled.

"That's cool. I wish I had a twin. That would be so cool!" Emmett said.

"No, it wouldn't. Alice, can you imagine _two_ Emmetts?" Edward smirked.

"Don't even put that image in my head, Edward! That would be completely awful!" Alice screeched. She looked at Emmett, who had his head down, and said, "It's nothing against you, Emmett. It's just that you're so...so..."

"It's that you're so extremely handsome that they wouldn't want you to be competing with someone else. That's it," Rosalie chimed in. Emmett lifted his head and smiled at her.

"Please. It's because he's such a prankster and who would want that much trouble times two to deal with?" Edward asked. "I love you man, but you're a handful."

"Maybe I just act that way around you. Did you ever think about that?" Emmett asked as he smiled. "What about you Bella? What do you think? Would you want a twin? Do you have any siblings?" Emmett asked.

"What?" I sputtered as everyone's eyes turned toward my own. I looked down. "I don't know. I don't have any siblings, so there's nothing to compare it with." I looked back up. "Sometimes, I guess it would be nice to have another one of me, that way I could do more stuff in half the time," I half smiled.

"Well, I don't think I would want a twin. I'm also an only child and I like my life the way it is right now. My parents and I help out the community any way we can, so we give anything extra to the community. I don't think I possibly handle having someone else to share stuff like that with," Tanya said, taking a bite of her pizza after she finished her little speech.

We all turned to stare at her. She took notice of our silence and quickly said, "I'm not trying to sound stuck up or anything, but my family likes the way our lives are right now and I don't think that one more person in our family would help anything. Anyway, I have tons of cousins and aunts and uncles, so it's not like I'm lonely."

"That's...cool," Alice spoke up. "Anyway, did you guys hear what happened this morning during 2nd block?"

"No, what happened?" I asked.

"Well, a certain teacher was caught smuggling stuff yesterday afternoon and the police came and searched his office this morning and they found all kinds of stuff that had been stolen. DVD players, a few little TVs, some movies, and some little electronic stuff, you know, like phones, watches, handheld gaming systems, the works," she said.

"Wow, a teacher from Forks High? Are you serious? This is the first time anything like this has happened, and I've been here since elementary school," I said.

"I'm surprised," chimed in Tanya. "I've only been here for a couple of years but from what I've observed, it's very surprising that something like this hasn't happened before. Back home, in Denali, Alaska, the standards for teachers were set _very_ high."

"Yeah...well, I already like this school and town better than I did the place we were at in Massachusetts," said Emmett after another long pause.

Edward opened his mouth to say something but he was saved by the bell. "Well, it's time we were going. See you guys later," he said as he and Tanya got up to leave.

"Bye," we all said as we followed suit. Jasper got my tray for me and I followed him to the tray bin, while Emmett, Rosalie, and Alice put their own trays up.

"That was a very, uh, interesting lunch back there," Jasper said as he put our trays up.

"Yeah. I guess. Tanya's only been here for a couple of years and I think we're the first people she's really ever sat with at lunch," I said.

"Really?" Jasper wondered.

"I can totally tell. She has, like, almost no people skills," Emmett butted in.

"Emmett!" Rosalie and Alice said at the same time.

"What?! Don't both of you get on my case. She's a real weirdo. She and Edward are a perfect match for each other," he said.

_What? Are they dating already?_ I wondered. _Why else would he say something like that? You know what, I don't care. Jasper's really cool. I'll just hang out with him instead of wasting my time worrying about Edward Cullen._

"Bella, did you hear me?" Jasper asked.

"What? Sorry, I drifted off for a second there," I said, blushing.

"It's ok, don't worry about it. Um...I was wondering if you would like to have dinner tomorrow night...with me," he stammered.

"Yeah...I mean, yes. I would like to have dinner with you...tom...tomorrow...night," I stuttered.

"Great. I'll pick you up at 7:00. Is that ok?"

"Yes. That would be great," I said as we headed our separate ways. "Wait!" I yelled at his retreating back.

"Yeah?"

"Um...casual or dressy?"

"Um...dressy," he said.

"Ok. I'll talk to you later then, I guess."

"Bye Bella. I talk to you later too," Jasper said with a smile as he turned away.

I walked to my biology class just in time. I looked for Jill but she was sitting next to Mike. _Ugh. Where does that leave me then?_ I looked for an empty seat and found the last one next to Edward. _Interesting turn of events._

"Mind if I sit here?" I asked Edward.

"No, of course not," he said.

"Thanks. I guess Jill found a better lab partner," I said dejectedly.

"Don't think that. Maybe _you've_ found a better lab partner," he smiled.

I looked at him for a moment and opened my mouth to make a comeback but the bell rang and Mr. Banner started the class. I closed my mouth and turned away from Edward and so I could pay attention to the teacher..

"Ok. Welcome to the first official day of Biology. We are going to start studying the structures and phases of cells. Take a look at the person sitting next to you," he paused as everyone looked at their table partners. "That person is your lab partner for the remainder of this class."

There was a lot of groaning at that statement, so Mr. Banner said, "Get over it, people. I'm tired of all the drama going on around here, so you're going to have to deal with it."

"But Mr. Banner, sir," said Lauren. "I can't sit next to Todd. I'm allergic to geeks. Sorry Todd. Mr. Banner, I need to sit next to Mark," she said in her whiny voice.

"Miss Mallory. Please do not refer to Todd as a 'geek.' You are not allergic to him. You can handle it. I'm not changing your spots. That's it."

"But Mr. Banner!"

"No. That's final. Miss Mallory, now the whole class can thank you for their new assignment," he said, turning to the rest of the class. "Class, you now have a 10 page research paper due on Monday, on the anatomy and cell structure of mammals. For now you can all work on these worksheets with your lab partners for the remainder of the class. We will begin our normal routine on Monday. Remain seated and quiet or I will give you Saturday detention."

Everyone groaned as they took out their textbooks and started on the worksheets that Mr. Banner handed out. There were five worksheets, front and back.

"So, partner, do you want to start?" I looked over at Edward and found myself mesmerized by his eyes once again.

"Yeah...I guess so. How do you want to do this?" I asked.

"How about you take one side and I'll take the other and then we'll keep doing that and then give each other the answers once we're done with them all? Does that sound like a good idea?"

"That sounds good," I whispered.

We worked on the worksheets for the next half hour and finished about 20 minutes before class was over. I was trying to figure out what to do with my extra time when a piece of paper was thrown in front of me.

_So, what do you propose we do now?_

I looked over at Edward but he was looking straight ahead, so I just wrote him back._I don't know. Tell me about yourself and Massachusetts?_ I threw the piece of paper back at him and watched his face as he read my note. He smiled and started writing what seemed like a novel. After a couple of minutes, he threw it back.

_Well, I was born in Chicago, but we moved around a lot after that. We had only been in Massachusetts for a couple of years, but I really think my parents like it here. I do too. I can't wait to see what everyone does around here for fun._

_Wow, Chicago. Really? I was born here and I've lived here my whole life. It gets kind of boring after a while, if you know what I mean. There's not much to do, other than go to Port Angeles for shopping or La Push for the beach._

_Yeah. I guess. That must be great, though, living in the same place for so long. I mean, you get to stay in touch with your friends and you aren't constantly moving places. I don't really like moving, but I'm glad we've moved here._

The bell rang as I was starting to write down my response to his statement, so I just slipped the paper in my notebook. "So," I said to Edward as we started walking to Pre-Cal. "Are you sure you want to go with me grocery shopping? I mean, you don't have to."

"It's ok. I want to go with you. Don't worry about it. Just worry about tonight, when you see what Alice has in store for you," he grinned.

"What do you mean, don't worry until I see what Alice has in store for me?! I don't handle surprises very well. They always turn out bad for me. Can't you just tell me what she plans on doing?" I rambled.

"Nope. It's not my place to tell you," he said. "You'll just have to wait and see. Anyway, what are you doing tomorrow night?"

"Well, I'm going on a date with Jasper. He asked me earlier right after lunch," I said.

"Oh. Really? That's cool," he said as we walked into the classroom.

"What's cool?" Alice asked.

"Bella's going on a date with Jasper tomorrow," Edward teased.

"You are?!" Alice screeched. "When did he ask you?" she asked, bouncing up and down in her seat as Edward and I sat down in our own seats.

"After lunch. Please don't make such a big deal about this, ok? We're going out to eat. Nothing big," I said.

"Are you kidding? 'Nothing big.' Please, Bella. You have to let me help you get ready! We can plan for it tonight! Oh, yeah...I meant to ask if it's ok, but would you be ok if Rosalie comes over tonight, too?"

"No problem. I like Rosalie. She's really nice," I said.

"Yes! Thank you so much Bella! Tonight's going to be awesome, just you wait," Alice said as she turned in seat to the front to listen to Mr. Varner.

Alice waited until after class to bombard me with more questions about Jasper, most of which I could not answer, seeing as how I had only known him for about a day.

"Alice," I interrupted, "why don't you wait and ask Rosalie. She knows more about him than I do. She _is_ his sister. She probably knows everything about him. She can answer your questions better than I can."

"You're right. Of course I should ask Rosalie. She is his sister," Alice mumbled. "Anyway, you and Edward need to be off so Rosalie and I can go get the stuff for the sleepover! See you guys later!"

Edward and I walked in silence to my truck. I could tell something was on his mind but I didn't know how to ask him without sounding rude. I unlocked the driver's side door and got in and unlocked the passenger's side door for Edward.

"I like your truck," he said. "It's older, for sure, but it has a certain charm."

I grimaced. "Thanks. It _is_ really old. My parents got it from one of my dad's old friends Billy Black. It's in perfect condition, though, and it gets me to where I need to be," I said as I started the truck up and left the school parking lot.

We sat in silence for a couple of minutes before I said, "You can find some music to listen to, if you want. I have a cassette tape that I plug into the tape player, that way I can plug in my cd player and not have to listen to whatever music is playing on the radio. I prefer to listen to my own music."

"Really? Me too. I mean, I would rather listen to my own music than listen to the crap that's playing on the radio," Edward said.

"If you want, you can look through my CDs and pick something out. I don't have many in here, but there's still a good selection. They're in the glove compartment."

I was slowing down for a stop light, so I reached over to open the glove compartment, but so was Edward, so our hands collided. We looked at each other for a moment, our hands still touching, the electric spark there again. I quickly withdrew my hand and placed it back on the steering wheel. _Something weird is happening here. Why am I so jumpy with him? I don't like him like that, right? I like Jasper. Edward likes Tanya. End of discussion._

Edward picked out a CD and we listened to it in silence all the way to the supermarket. As we got out, I locked the doors and we both headed inside. Once inside, I got a shopping cart and started toward one of the aisles.

"Wait. Why don't I push the shopping cart while you pick out whatever it is that you need? That way I'm helping out, too," Edward said.

"Ok. That's fine. Here you go. Just follow me," I said.

We went down the every aisle, just to make sure I wasn't forgetting something. The last aisle we went down was the cake and cookie mix aisle, or as I like to call it the sugary, baked, and fattening aisle. I didn't see anything that I really needed but I noticed Edward had stopped near the brownie mixes and I went back to get him.

"Edward, we really need to be going now. I don't need anything from here."

"I think you need this, Bella: chocolate peanut butter brownies. Two of the best things ever, chocolate and peanut butter, combined to make one the best inventions in the cooking industry ever!" he said enthusiastically.

"You're sounding like a crazy person," I argued, turning back to the shopping cart. "I don't think I'll need it."

Edward came closer to me, turned me around, and gazed into my eyes. "Yes, Bella, you need these. They're amazing, fantastic, and wonderful. If you don't, then I'll get them and we'll bake them...together," he said, with that little half grin of his.

I felt my knees getting weaker every moment that he continued to stare at me with his amazingly emerald eyes. "I don't know, Edward. I mean..." I trailed off. I felt my resolve slowly fade away.

"It'll be something we can do together. How about I get them and I can come over on Sunday and we'll bake them, ok?"

"I...what...I mean...yes?"

He grinned. "I'll take that as a yes," he said as he pushed the cart to the front of the supermarket. He looked back at me. I realized that I was just standing there, like an idiot, and started to jog to catch up to him. My foot caught on something and I braced myself for the cold, hard surface of the supermarket floor, but all I felt was warm flesh. I looked up and noticed that Edward was holding me in his arms.

I got up quickly and blushed while I said, "Thanks...Edward."

"My pleasure," he grinned. "But you can't be running like that. You'll trip again, and what if I'm not there next time to catch you? You could seriously injure yourself," he play-scolded.

"I know, I know," I mumbled. "It happens a lot. I try not to, but it just happens." Silence. "Let's go before something else happens, ok?"

"Ok. Let's go." Edward hummed a little tune as he pushed the cart up to the front of the store to check out.

As we got closer, I saw Jill. I thought about going up to her and apologizing but I couldn't understand why exactly she would want to go out with Mike Newton, of all people. I guess Edward noticed my silence, so he spoke up.

"Hey. Are you ok?" he asked.

"Yeah, I guess. I mean, I just don't understand why she would want to go out with Mike Newton, of all people," I said.

"What do you have against Mike Newton, if you mind my asking?"

"Nothing really. We've all known each other since kindergarten, and we all know how each other acts. It's just that Mike is a...a...womanizer!"

"What?"

"What I mean is that he likes anything in a skirt. Jill and I were just talking about this yesterday morning, during biology. He has a phobia of commitment. He's with a different girl every weekend," I sighed.

"Maybe Jill is just the girl to change that," Edward said gently.

I just looked at him. "Maybe I don't want to see the one friend I've had since kindergarten get hurt. Maybe I don't want her to make the mistake I know she's making."

"Bella. Isn't it a bit presumptuous to think that she's making a mistake?"

"Argh...I guess. But we made this promise a long time ago that we would never fall for someone like Mike and now look what's happened. I guess I'm just upset by it," I said, looking down at the shopping cart.

"I understand that. But let her make a mistake, if it's a mistake. She needs to learn from her decisions."

"I know. I know." I was silent for a minute. "Let's just get checked out. I'm ready to leave already," I said, still looking down at the groceries.

We finished checking out and made our way out to the truck. The ride to my house was quiet, just like the ride to the supermarket, but the silence wasn't as awkward as it was before. Once inside, Edward helped me put the groceries away, and he waited downstairs as I headed up to my bedroom and the bathroom to gather my things to spend the night. Once laden with the stuff that I needed, I began to dread spending the night with Alice. I didn't know what she had in store for me, but from what I had surmised from the Cullens' attitudes toward it, I did not think I was going to like it one bit.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.**

As I made my way downstairs, I walked slowly so I wouldn't trip again. I was preoccupied with thoughts of the conversation that Edward and I had had at the supermarket and what else had happened. _I can't believe I tripped in front of Edward. How embarrassing. He probably thinks that I'm a real klutz. Great. He probably thinks that I'm a horrible friend, too. It's not that I don't want Jill to be happy, but I don't want her to get hurt._

I was quiet as I made sure the locks on the back and front doors were locked and as Edward and I made it out side to my truck. He knew that I didn't want to talk and I appreciated his thoughtfulness. I headed toward the driver's side of the truck but a hand shot out to stop me.

"What do you think you're doing?" wondered Edward.

"I'm driving to your house. That's what I'm doing," I said slowly.

"You don't know where it is. I'll drive," he said.

"But..."

"Bella," he said, gazing into my eyes, making my knees go weak. "You don't want to drive."

"Yes, I do. I do..."

He lowered his forehead and pressed it against mine. I suddenly lost my train of thought as a sudden breeze blew across Edward's body and sent the smell of him toward me. "What were you saying?"

"I was saying that I'm going to drive us to my house, okay?"

"I guess...that's okay..." I trailed off. He had a look of triumph on his face and took my keys out of my hand. Suddenly, it was as if my head cleared. "Wait, Edward," I started.

"No, Bella, you've already agreed," he grinned. He made his way to the passenger side and opened the door for me. "In you get," he said, trying not to laugh out loud.

"Fine. But I will not be happy about this," I said through gritted teeth.

"You won't be happy about this? What about me? Your truck starts protesting if it goes over 55 miles per hour. I don't feel comfortable driving unless the car is going at least 80," he grumbled.

"Take it easy on my truck. It's a senior citizen, unlike your precious Volvo," I poked at him.

"Don't worry. I've got it under control," he grinned.

He started the truck and backed out of my driveway. We drove for about 20 minutes until we came on a sudden turn. The driveway was hidden by a ton of bushes and trees and had Edward not said something before we came upon it, I would not have noticed it.

"See, I told you that you wouldn't have been able to find it."

"I guess you're right," I said begrudgingly.

It took another five minutes of driving until the house came into view. The house itself was white and was surrounded by a field with five or so gigantic cedars and a huge garden near the front porch, which wrapped around the house. I had never seen anything as majestic and beautiful looking as the Cullen house did.

"Wow. Your house is so beautiful, Edward," I whispered.

"Thanks. Just wait until you see the inside," he said.

He stopped the truck beside his Volvo, and said, "I guess Alice got everything she needed already. Usually it takes her a few hours when shopping, even if it's stuff for sleepovers. Believe me, I know," he grimaced.

"So, Alice has a lot of these kinds of things?" I asked as we got out of the truck.

"Well, not really. The few that she did have were major things. She kept to herself mostly, but on the rare occasions that she did have someone over, Alice threw the best little parties ever. Some may say that she went overboard." He smiled. "But that's how Alice is. Nothing is too small to throw a big bash for. You'll get used to it, don't worry, though. Her best parties are the surprise ones."

I rolled my eyes. "Great. I hate surprises," I said as we made our way up the front porch.

"Well, I do have one surprise for you, as does Alice," Edward grinned.

"What is it?" I grimaced, closing my eyes.

He chuckled. "You get to meet our parents. They're amazing, and I know already that they'll love you."

"Really? And how do you know that already?" I questioned.

"I just know. Alice told them all about you yesterday, and she's probably told them more in the short time that she's been home. In fact, let's see how much she's told them already. I'll show you to her room and then you'll probably meet them later tonight."

"So, what are you doing tonight?" I asked.

"I'm going to stay as far away from Alice's room as possible, as is Emmett. I'll lock myself in my room and only come out for food," he said as he smiled his beautiful crooked smile. My heart started racing and I couldn't understand the feeling I had for Edward. _I like him, yes, but I also like Jasper. Ugh. This is _so_ confusing. I hate it._

"So, what's your surprise for me?" I asked as we walked into the house and into the massive living room and toward an ornate wooden staircase. I slid my hand over the smooth banister as we made our way up to the second floor. Edward just smiled when I asked him my question. We made our way past a couple of closed doors when Edward suddenly stopped.

"Well, here we are. You can probably just knock and then go in," he said. "Have fun," he grinned.

"Thanks. See ya later," I said as I turned to knock on Alice's door. I knocked on the door and was assaulted by a tiny bouncing figure.

"Bella! You made it! Yay!" Alice screamed. _What have I gotten myself into?_ I wondered. "Come on in, Rosalie and I have been waiting on you!"

"Sorry about that," I said.

"No problem. You're here now," Rosalie said.

"Ok. Bella, sit next to Rosalie." I obeyed and sat on Alice's comfortable queen size bed. "Now that you're here, we're going to go over the plan for tonight."

"What? We have a plan?" I asked, startled.

"Of course we do. No sleepover is complete without a plan. Anyway, first we're going to go downstairs and eat dinner with the rest of the family, that way you guys can meet my parents. Then, after dinner, we can come back upstairs and dress up. Now, I know we're not little kids, but dressing up is so much fun! We'll dress Rosalie first, then me, and lastly Bella! That way we can focus on helping Bella with an outfit for her date with Jasper tomorrow night. After makeovers, we can go downstairs and watch movies. Everything good for you guys?" Alice took a breath and smiled.

We just stared at her. "Uh, yeah. That's good," Rosalie said, slightly stunned.

"Ok. Let's get started then. What do you guys want for dinner? Pizza or a meal? With ice cream afterwards?" Alice asked.

"Pizza sounds good," I said.

"Ooh...with pepperoni and sausage!" Rosalie added.

"That sounds good, and we can talk while we wait for the pizza to arrive. I'll go downstairs and tell my parents about dinner and then order it. I'll be back in a few," Alice said.

After Alice left us, Rosalie and I just sat in silence for a couple of minutes.

"So, Bella," Rosalie started. "Do you like my brother?"

I was startled. She was being very direct, more direct than I had really expected. "Yea...Yeah. I...I really do," I stammered.

"Good. Because I think you're good for my brother. He's not had a really good track record with his relationships, but I can tell he really likes you," Rosalie said.

"Really?"

"Yes. I don't tell this to everyone, but since Jasper is my brother and I like you, I'm happy that he asked you out," she said.

"Thank you Rosalie. That means a lot to me," I said.

"No problem. Now, don't you ever tell him that or I'll have to hurt you, got it?" She looked at me with a stern face but, after a minute, she started laughing.

"Got it," I said, also laughing.

We were still laughing a couple of minutes later when Alice came back to the room. "What are you guys laughing about?" she asked.

"Nothing," we said at the same time.

"Ok. Well, the pizza's going to be here in about 30 minutes. Emmett said he's going over to your place to hang out with Jasper, so we don't have to worry about that. Though, he said they might come back over here to watch movies with us, if that's ok."

"That's fine," we said.

"What are we going to do until the pizza gets here?" I asked.

"Well...we could...just talk about guys!" Alice screamed.

"I don't know..."I said as my thoughts drifted off in two different directions.

"Come on, Bella. Please, Rosalie?" Alice looked at us with a sad face. She had me.

"Fine. Let's talk about guys," I said dejectedly.

"Come on, Bella. It'll be fun," said Rosalie.

"We could do that or play truth or dare," Alice said.

"We can talk about guys," I said quickly.

"Ok, but we'll play truth or dare later," she said.

"Fine," I said.

"Ok, first, Jasper. Rosalie, I know he's your brother, but he's really, really cute," Alice started.

"I agree. I mean, after all, he is my brother," Rosalie said, smiling.

"Bella?" Alice asked.

"I agree, too. He is really cute, and he's extremely nice. A perfect gentleman," I said, blushing.

"Aw!"said Rosalie and Alice.

"How sweet. She's blushing!" said Alice.

"Can we change the subject? Please?" I pleaded.

"Ok. How about Edward?" asked Rosalie.

"He's ok," Alice said.

"Come on, Alice. Even I agreed that my brother is good looking," said Rosalie.

"Yeah, Alice. Come on," I said.

"Fine. Yes. Edward is good looking, with those green eyes of his that we both have. I'll admit that, but don't expect anything more. He's great, yes, but he needs to start thinking straighter than he has been. I mean, seriously, he needs to realize when he's got a chance at something, instead of wanting to wait to see what happens. On the other hand, Emmett knows when to go for what he wants. He's very straightforward. I admire that about him," she said in a rush.

Rosalie and I just stared at each other with surprised expressions. _Wow, that was quite a mouthful, _I thought.

"I think Emmett's pretty handsome," said Rosalie. Alice and I both looked at her. "What? With all those muscles...oh, yeah," she grinned. "He's really strong, isn't he? Just my type."

"Do I sense a crush, Rosalie?" Alice grinned.

"Maybe you do, Alice," Rosalie said, grinning wickedly.

"What about..." I started, but was interrupted by a sudden knocking at the door. The door opened to reveal a very beautiful woman.

"Hey girls. I'm Esme. I'm Alice, Edward, and Emmett's mother. Alice, your father is going to be late getting home tonight. There's an emergency at the hospital, so he's got to stay there to help. Also, the pizzas are downstairs if you want to go ahead and come down," she said.

"Ok. Mom, this is Rosalie and Bella. You guys, this is my mom," Alice said.

"Hi, Mrs. Cullen," we both said.

"Oh, you girls don't have to call me 'Mrs. Cullen.' Call me Esme, please," she insisted.

"Ok, Esme," we both said.

"Alice, can you tell Edward that the food's here?" Esme asked as we headed downstairs.

"Sure thing, Mom," Alice grumbled.

Rosalie and I followed Esme downstairs while Alice went to her brother's room. Just as we were getting our food in the enormous kitchen, Alice and Edward walked into the room. They both had mad expressions on their faces and they seemed to be ignoring each other.

"Edward, Alice? Can you two please get the drinks out of the refrigerator? And also get the glasses out of the cabinet. You know which ones to get," said Esme.

As we all sat down in the dining room, I noticed that there was a lot of tension in the air around Alice and Edward. We ate in silence; none of us wanting to break the silence that Edward and Alice had brought down to us. After we finished eating, we took our plates and glasses to the kitchen and loaded them into the dishwasher.

Edward and I were the last ones to finish our pizza, so we walked into the kitchen together.

"So," he said. "Having a good time yet?"

"I guess. First thing that happened was that Alice gave us our schedule for tonight," I groaned.

"I told you that she takes things seriously. I heard that we're watching movies later," Edward said.

"Come on Rosalie. Bella," Alice said. She threw Edward a glare as she started back toward her bedroom.

"What's that about?" I asked.

"Nothing. Alice doesn't know when not to stick her nose in other people's business," Edward said as he watched her retreating back.

"Well, I guess I'll see you later then," I said, turning to go upstairs with Rosalie.

"Wait. I need to ask you something," he said.

"Ok. Rosalie, you can go ahead tell Alice that I'll be up in minute, ok?"

"Ok," she said, winking at me.

I turned back to Edward. "So...what do you want to talk to me about?"

"Um...do you still want me to come over on Sunday so we can make those brownies?"

"Is that all?" I asked. "Yeah, that's fine," I said, blushing.

"BELLA!" Alice yelled from upstairs.

"I guess I'll see you when we get ready to watch movies," I said.

"Wait. When do you want to work on our research papers?" he asked.

"Oh, crap," I grimaced. "I forgot. I guess we can write them while we make brownies?" I half asked.

"Ok. Well, I guess I'll let you go before Alice gets really upset. You don't want to cross that mad little pixie. Not yet, anyway," he said, grinning.

"Yeah. See you later," I said as I made my way back upstairs. Soon I got back to Alice's room.

"Bella, what took you so long?" Alice asked. I shrugged. "Whatever. We're ready to dress up!"

"Great," I mumbled. "Let's get started," I said a little louder for Alice and Rosalie's benefit.

Alice and Rosalie started their own makeovers first, and I laid down on Alice's bed to think for a while. I couldn't believe my luck the past couple of days. I mean, two incredibly gorgeous guys, one date, one semi-friend date, and five new friends. On the other hand, there was Jill. We had been best friends for forever, but she was headed in a direction about which I had no clue. I didn't want to lose her, but the end, to me, seemed inevitable. I guess I must have dozed off because the next thing I was aware of was Alice shaking me awake.

"Hey sleepyhead. Sorry we took so long. We were just having so much fun that time just ran away. Anyway, it's too late tonight for us to figure out your outfit for tomorrow night. Rosalie and I already picked something for you. Don't worry," she said as she saw the apprehensive look on my face. "It's really cute and everything. Anyway, we're going to head downstairs and watch movies with the boys now, ok?" Alice asked.

I stretched and yawned, "Yeah, that's fine." I got up off the bed and followed Alice and Rosalie down the staircase. We walked to living room, where the smell of popcorn and soda was lingering in the air. _Oh, and look at those comfy couches. Someone could just fall asleep while watching these movies. _I smiled at my thoughts.

As we walked into the room Emmett, Jasper, and Edward also walked in from the direction of the kitchen with big bowls full of popcorn.

"Aw, you guys are great," said Alice, taking a seat on one of the couches with Edward. Rosalie sat down on the loveseat while Emmett followed her lead and sat next to her, leaving Jasper and I sitting together on the couch across from Alice and Edward. "Thanks."

"So, what kind of movies are we watching?" I asked.

"Horror," said Emmett, grinning. I gulped. "Are you scared?" he asked.

"No, I'm fine," I lied. Jasper looked at me but I just smiled at him, hoping to alleviate any fears that I had.

"Are you sure?" Jasper whispered.

"Yeah, I'm sure," I whispered back.

We all settled in to watch the movie. It was something about a serial killer who stalked his victims before he attacked. The first few minutes passed by without much action and I was grateful for that. Suddenly...


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. :( I just own the creativity that came up with this plot! :)**

Suddenly I felt a cold hand on my shoulder and I nearly jumped out of my skin. I looked over and it was only Jasper's hand. I glanced at it for a second and started to blush. I turned to look at Jasper's face; he was looking at me.

"Is this ok?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yeah. It's ok," I said as we continued to look at each other. I felt guilty as I compared Jasper's touch to Edward's. There was no tingle. _There's no tingle, but there might be later. I shouldn't compare things like that. Ugh. I'm absolutely horrible!_

"So, do you really not like scary movies?" he whispered as the movie continued.

"Not really. They've always given me nightmares. I prefer happy movies, with no blood or gore," I admitted.

"That's cool. I don't really like scary movies much either. I actually prefer action movies," he also admitted.

"No more talking you guys! You're missing the beginning of the movie!" Emmett wailed.

"Fine," Jasper and I said in unison.

We smiled at each other and turned to watch the movie again. After a while of watching the bloodbath on the screen I noticed that Edward got up and went to the kitchen. I realized as I watched him go that I was a bit thirsty. Plus Jasper and I had finished our popcorn and cokes ages ago and I really didn't want to watch anymore of the movie or else I knew for sure that I would have some really gruesome nightmares later on tonight, so I turned my head toward Jasper's ear and whispered, "I'm going to the kitchen, do you need anything?"

"No, but thank you," he whispered back in my ear, his voice sending little thrills down my spine. He looked into my eyes and I blushed as I stumbled to get off of the sofa.

I walked into the kitchen as Edward was pulling various sodas out of the refrigerator. He seemed deep in thought and it took two tries to get him to notice that I was in the kitchen with him.

"Oh, hey, Bella. What are you doing?" he said, distractedly.

"The same thing you're doing, silly. Getting something to drink," I said, smiling.

"Really?" Edward said with his gorgeous half smile that made me go weak in the knees. _Wait, I shouldn't be feeling like this. I like Jasper!_ I yelled at myself. "What would you like?"

"Um...I guess I would like some Dr. Pepper, please," I said after a minute of staring at his perfect face.

He took my glass from me and filled it. "Here you go, one Dr. Pepper."

"Thanks," I said slowly. "I guess I'll be heading back to finish up the movie," I said, grimacing.

"What? You don't like horror movies?" Edward asked, smiling.

"Not even. Give me a romantic comedy any day, please," I said truthfully.

He grinned. "Maybe we can watch something tomorrow, after we finish writing our papers?"

"Um...I'll think about it. Are you going to go finish the movie?"

"Yeah. Lead the way, Miss Swan," Edward said, laughing.

I picked up my glass and headed back into the living room to sit down next to Jasper. As I sat down, I placed my glass on the coffee table and leaned into the couch. Jasper placed his arm back around my shoulder and I leaned into him. I wasn't really paying attention to the movie, though. I was thinking about things I didn't need to think about. Like two amazing guys and how I didn't know how to choose between them. I think I dozed off because the next thing I knew, Jasper was shaking me slightly, saying, "Come on, sleepyhead. Time for you to get up and follow Alice and Rosalie."

"Yeah, yeah," I mumbled as I got up and followed the girls back up to Alice's room. All three of us quickly crashed onto our makeshift beds and fell back to sleep.

* * *

I woke up to bright sunshine filtering in through the windows. I covered my face, groaned, and rolled over to look at my watch. It was only 7:00 A.M.! "Are you kidding me?" I grumbled as I tried to get to sleep once more. I tried, unsuccessfully, for twenty minutes to get back to sleep but I realized what a wasted attempt that was, so I got up and left Alice's room in search for the bathroom.

I stumbled out of her room and looked around at the other doors that lined the hallway. I knew that two of the doors belonged to Alice's brothers, but I wasn't for sure which ones. I didn't want to stumble across them, anyway. _I just need a bathroom. I just need a bathroom_, I chanted in my head as I made my way down the hall. I stopped at the first door on my right and opened it. Nothing but a linen closet. I tried the door across from it, but it was locked. I was starting to get a little frustrated but I kept up my search. I stood in the middle of the hallway for a moment before I heard, "What are doing up this early?"

I spun around, instantly embarrassed. It was Edward. _Oh my gosh. Edward is right in front of me. I'm wearing my pajamas! Could this get any worse??_

"Um...I was looking for the bathroom. Could you point me there, please?" I asked, blushing.

"Yeah," Edward said, grinning. "It's that door on the right that you just bypassed."

"Wait. It was locked..." I trailed off.

"And now it isn't," he said, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh." Silence. "Well, I guess I'll be going to the bathroom now. Thanks," I said as I rushed into the bathroom before Edward could say anything else. When I got inside, I locked the door and sat down on the tub. I was mortified. I mean, Edward probably thought that I was a head case or something now. _Wait. Why do I care what _Edward_ thinks? I shouldn't have to worry about what he thinks. I should be worrying about what _Jasper_ thinks._

With that, I got finished in the bathroom and headed back to Alice's room, this time not running into anyone. Once I got back to the room I noticed that Alice and Rosalie were still sleeping, so I laid back down and closed my eyes. I was thinking of Jasper and our upcoming date. I had to admit, I was kind of nervous. I guess I drifted off again because suddenly I was being shaken awake by Alice, her face REALLY close to my own.

"Alice! What are you doing?!"

"It's time to get up! It's almost 10:30 and we need to get some breakfast before we start getting you ready for your date tonight!" she exclaimed.

"Where's Rosalie?" I mumbled.

"She's right over there. She's still laying down but SHE NEEDS TO GET UP!!" the little pixie yelled in Rosalie's direction.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm getting up," Rosalie grumbled.

Rosalie and I stood up from our makeshift beds and followed Alice downstairs to the kitchen. Emmett was there, eating as usual. Esme was standing at the stove, with the smell of bacon and eggs hovering around her.

"Ok, girls. Here's your breakfast," she said as she sat plates in front of us. She glanced over at Emmett, who was shoveling his own food at a record pace. "You better eat it before Emmett gets through. Next thing you know, he'll get yours," she said with a smile.

"Ha ha, Mom," Emmett said. "Although, she's right. I _am_ almost done."

We all sat down and started in on our breakfasts, occasionally looking over at Emmett. Rosalie, I noticed, was peering up at him more often than Alice and I were. I nudged Alice and nodded over at Rosalie and then at Emmett, who was oblivious to everything around him. Alice grinned and spoke up.

"So, Emmett. Rosalie. What are you guys doing tonight?" she asked innocently.

"What?" Emmett asked.

"Nothing. Why?" Rosalie asked suspiciously.

"Well, I need you guys to do me a favor and go to the mall to pick something up for me. I was going to do it myself, but I don't have time. So, I was wondering if you two could go in my place instead?" she asked.

Emmett groaned. "Alice. What more could you possibly need?" Alice looked at him for a minute before he complied. "Fine. Whatever. When do we need to go?"

"Around 6:00, if that's fine. That way you guys could pick it up and then go and get something to eat. On me," Alice smiled.

Rosalie glared at Alice and then turned to Emmett. "Do you want to take your car or mine," she smiled.

"We...we can take mine. Are you still going to be here or do you want me to pick you up at your...your house?" Emmett stuttered.

"We'll be over at Bella's house to help her get ready, so you can just pick me up my house."

"Ok," Emmett grinned. "I have to be going right now, but I'll see you later, ok?"

"Ok," Rosalie grinned back as Emmett ran out of the room. She waited until he was out of the room before she started yelling at Alice. "ALICE CULLEN! How dare you! What were you thinking?!"

"Rosalie, Rosalie, Rosalie. I was simply helping you two and the attraction I felt that you have for each other. I mean, everyone can see it. Right, Bella?" she asked as she turned to me.

"What? I...I..." I trailed off.

"See. Even Bella knows. Rosalie. Don't worry, and I really need you guys to pick something up for me, so there."

"Yes, I like Emmett, but still. Alice, I wanted to do this on my own terms, but I have my own plan for tonight. Oh, yes," Rosalie said, grinning evilly.

"Ok. Now that we're done with breakfast, let's put our dishes in the dishwasher, head upstairs to get dressed, and then head over to Bella's to get ready," Alice said.

"Huh? Alice, it's only 11:00. We still have plenty of time to get ready," I said, with a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach.

"Silly Bella. We only have eight hours to get you and Rosalie ready! Come on, move it! Move it!" Alice ordered.

* * *

The three of us made it to my house in twenty minutes, which was pretty fast, but then again Alice was the one driving so it wasn't that big of a surprise.

I let us in and I noticed that Charlie was sitting on the couch, watching a basketball game, oblivious to everything around him.

"Hey Bells," he said. Then he glanced up and noticed Alice and Rose.

"Hey Dad. These are my friends Alice and Rosalie. We're just going to hang out upstairs for a while, ok?"

"Yeah, that's fine," he said, his attention back on the tv.

As Alice, Rosalie, and I made it upstairs to my room, I was thinking about how I was going to get out of the house with Jasper.

"Bella," Alice said as I closed my door behind her. "You're going to have to tell your dad about tonight. I don't see any way around it." Rosalie nodded in agreement.

"I know, I know. I'll go do it now, I suppose," I said as I headed back down the stairs to meet my doom.

"Dad?" I said as soon as I got back to the living room. "I have to tell you...I mean, ask you something..." I trailed off.

"What is it, Bella? Are you ok?" my dad asked in a rush.

"I'm fine. Um...it's just that...JasperHaleaskedmeoutyesterday...andIsaidyes...soisitokif Igooutwithhim...tonight?" I asked in a rush.

"What was that?" he asked, confused.

I took a deep breath and repeated what I had just asked, "Jasper Hale asked me out yesterday and I said yes, so is it ok if I go out with him tonight?"

"Which one's Jasper?" he asked, stalling.

"He's the one that just moved next door with his parents and his twin sister Rosalie. She's the blonde upstairs with Alice," I explained.

"Oh, ok. Yeah, it's ok if you go with him," Charlie said, his attention going back to the tv. "But I do have to meet him tonight before you leave."

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, yeah. I know. Well, I've got to go get ready now." I rushed upstairs to face my doom: a makeover. I grimaced as I walked back up to my room so I could play Bella Barbie with Alice and Rosalie. They noticed my grimace as I walked into my room.

"Oh, come on, Bella. It's not the end of the world. It's just a little makeup," Alice grinned.

"Yeah," Rosalie said. "So, what did your dad say?"

"He said it was fine, but Jasper has to meet him before we leave," I frowned.

"That's not bad. I mean, you should've seen my dad's reaction when my first boyfriend came to the house. Wow. I didn't think my dad's face could get _that_ red," Rosalie said. "Then again, the guy was 6 foot, had a leather jacket and leather pants, and he had shoulder length hair. Chad was his name. I only went out with him for a couple of months, but I still remember..." she trailed off.

"Remember what?" I asked.

"Nothing," Rosalie smiled. "Now, go and get your shower, then come back in here and we'll start on your hair and Alice has already got you something picked out to wear, so you don't have to worry about that."

I grabbed my shower stuff and headed to the bathroom. I closed the door and locked it as I walked into the small room. No need for Alice or Rose to walk in and tell me how to wash my hair or whatever.

I took about an hour for my shower, and the hot water was starting to disappear as I decided that I had spent enough time avoiding the Alice and Rose. I turned the water off, dried off, and put my bathrobe on.

"About time! Now hurry and get in here!" Alice half-yelled, with a smile on her face. She and Rosalie worked silently for about two hours before Alice declared that she was done with my hair and makeup. "Now you can change into the clothes I've picked out for you, and no complaining," she said smiling.

I rolled my eyes at her and took the clothes that Rose held out to me. I took them with me to the bathroom and looked them over. There was tan skirt and a dark blue blouse. Thankfully, the skirt wasn't _that_ short and it only went to my knees. I absolutely loved the blouse, though. My favorite color at the moment was blue, so it was kind of fitting that I was wearing a blue shirt. _Did I tell Alice that blue was my favorite color? Or maybe she guessed? Or it could be that I've been wearing blue a lot lately. That's it_, I thought as I got dressed.

Someone started knocking on the door. "Bella! Are you ready yet?" Rose's voice called out from the other side.

"Yeah. Just give me a minute," I said. I looked at my reflection in the mirror and shook my head. This wasn't how I was used to looking. I really did look like a Barbie doll now. I swallowed, thinking about how I was feeling about this date with Jasper. It felt...weird, somehow. I didn't know how to explain it, but I didn't feel the same as I did when I was with Edward. _Silly Bella. Of course you don't. They're two completely different boys. Of course you're going to feel different around the both of them._ I sighed. Sometimes life could be so complicated.

I walked out of the bathroom and nearly ran over Rose. "Sorry," I muttered.

"Wow, Bella. You look amazing. Like a real, life-sized Barbie doll," she said.

I smiled, thinking back to how I had come to that conclusion just minutes earlier. "Now, I guess it's your turn to get ready?" I asked.

"Yep. Come on. Alice is about to have a heart attack. She thinks that you're taking too long. But I need to talk to you for a minute."

"Ok," I said as I accidentally bumped into her as she suddenly stopped in the middle of the hallway.

"Ok, well, here goes," Rose said as she took a deep breath. "First of all, I can't tell you enough how much Jasper is looking forward to tonight. It's really rare for him to ask someone out. I mean, he's really shy and you've got to be pretty special for him to already have asked you out," she said in a rush.

I nodded, to let her know that I was listening. She continued. "I'm not telling you that I hate you or anything, but I just want you to know that if you break my brother's heart, I'll have to break you. Understand?"

I gulped. _Wow. Where did this come from?_ I thought. "Yeah. Yes. I understand," I whispered.

"I really like you, Bella, and I want you to know that I'm not threatening you. It's just that Jasper's had his heart broken before, by someone he opened his heart up to and I don't know if I can handle seeing him going through that again, I really don't. So, just be warned." She smiled. "Now, let's go get me ready for my mall 'trip' with Emmett. I swear, I'm going to kill Alice. Buts into people's business..." she trailed off as we walked back into my room, where Alice was waiting for us.

"Bella! I knew that outfit would work on you! Didn't I tell you Rose? Didn't I?" Alice beamed as she started bouncing up and down.

"You did," Rosalie agreed. "Now it's my turn!"

We spent the next hour trying to figure out what Rosalie should wear and how she should wear her makeup. Just as we were adding the finishing touches, the doorbell rang. I froze where I was, listening the conversation downstairs. Jasper was here!

**You guys are wonderful! I've had a MAJOR case of writer's block, sort of. I keep on thinking of how I want the story to progress, but it's just really hard for me to get motivated to write it down, and then I don't know how to write it out, you know? Anyway, I'm really sorry about the long wait! I feel absolutely horrible! Anyway, I'm going go and get started on the next chapter and don't forget to check out my new story: College Times. Right now it's only the description, but I'm going to work on the first chapter for it, too. Later!**


	9. Author's NoteSorry!

Ok, so I just wanted you guys to know that I haven't forgotten you or anything! School started up two weeks ago, we still had shows in the dinner theatre for Once Upon A Mattress (it closed this past weekend), and we were out last week because of Hurricane Gustav's storms. I do intend on still writing my stories and updating soon. I'm not promising anything, but I have been working on all three of my stories! And I must admit that I do have a little bit of writer's block...but I'm still trying to write. Never fear. :) I'll try as hard as I can to get something up soon!


	10. Another Note

So, I know that I've been pretty out of it lately...I can't even remember the last time I updated. :/ But don't worry, I'm working on my stories and I even have ideas for new ones. It's just that I keep on getting writer's block and I don't write that much unless I have a break from everything. Never fear because I've just moved into the apartments on campus from the girls' dorm...and that means I get my own room, so maybe I'll have more time to write...on top of classes and working at the theatre. :) Anyway, I just wanted to let you guys know that I haven't forgotten my stories and that I am trying my hardest to write some more. I don't want to give short chapters, so I try to write at least 8 pages on Word...so, yeah. I've already got about 5 pages for The Party, 5 pages for Forks High, and about a page for College Times, so hopefully I can get something posted. Don't worry, it's frustrating to me too! I want to know what happens. :D Anyway, I'm going to post the chapters that I have for my other stories so check them out and let me know what you think! Thanks!


	11. Chapter 9

"Bella! Breathe. It's ok. You know Jasper. Remember?" Alice said, turning down the music she had turned on while she was working on what to do for Rose's makeover. We were listening to the song 'Better' by Regina Spektor. Alice had just discovered her through one of her friends in Massachusetts and we just had to listen to her, if only to try it out. "You don't need to pass out before he's even seen you. That would be bad luck. Especially with all the work Rose and I put into it," she joked.

"But it might be even more bad luck if you don't get down there and save Jasper from your dad," Rose said.

I nodded in agreement and started out my door. "Aw....our little Bella is growing up!" I heard Alice whisper. I glanced back at her and glared at her. "What?" she asked, raising her hands in a questioning manner. "It's true," she smiled.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll get to you later," I muttered. "I'll see you guys later then. Have fun with Emmett, Rose," I said.

"Thanks. You have fun with Jasper, too!" Rose said.

I walked out of my bedroom and down the hallway to the staircase. I stood there for a moment, trying to hear if my dad was talking to Jasper or not. There was a little bit of conversation going on, from what I could make out. I made my way quickly down the stairs, but at a pace where I didn't have to worry about falling.

I turned the corner into the living room and saw Jasper and my dad sitting down. "Hey, Jasper," I said.

He smiled and replied, "Good evening, Bella." My dad cleared his throat.

"So, Dad, what time do I have to be home?" I asked.

"Eleven, at the latest," he said. He looked around. "Where are Alice and Rosalie?"

"Oh, they're getting the rest of their stuff so they can head over to Rose's house to wait on Emmett," I said.

"Oh, ok," Charlie cleared his throat again. Clearly, he was uncomfortable. "Jasper, take good care of her." He looked straight at Jasper.

"Don't worry, sir. I will," Jasper said.

"Bye, Dad. Don't wait up!" I yelled back into the living room as I pushed Jasper to the front hallway to grab my coat.

"Yeah, yeah," I heard him grumble softly.

As we made our way out the front door, I spoke up. "My dad didn't give you the third degree, did he?"

"Oh, no. He was just wondering what our plans are and everything," he said as we reached his car, which was a sporty red BMW.

"Is this your car?" I asked, amazed.

"No, it's Rosalie's. She's just letting me borrow it tonight," he said.

"Wow. It's...wow."

He laughed. "Yeah, I know," he said as he opened my door.

"Thank you."

"You're very welcome." He closed my door and walked around the front of the car to get to the driver's side. He opened the door and slid in. "Ready?"

"I am."

Jasper pulled slowly from the curb and started toward our destination. "So...where are we going?" I asked, curious.

He smiled. "You'll find out in due time."

I groaned. "Please?" He shook his head. "Pretty please?"

He smiled at me. "Let's talk about something else," he said. "How about...school."

"School?"

"Yeah. How are your classes so far?" I stared at him in disbelief. "Mine are good so far. Not too stressful just yet."

I rolled my eyes. "Ok. I'll give up for the time being, but be ready for a surprise attack," I warned. "School is great. I mean, we've only been in school, for what, a week?"

"Yeah, but there must be something worth mentioning?" he questioned.

"I guess..." I said, getting an idea. "For one thing, there are these five new students...and they're pretty mysterious, especially this one guy..." I trailed off, grinning.

"Hmm...that's pretty interesting. A new, mysterious guy, really? Maybe you should be more careful, you know, and get to know him better," he said.

"Oh, don't worry. I'm trying," I smiled.

We stared at each for a brief moment before Jasper turned away and started to slow the car down. "Are we there yet?" He nodded. "Where are we?"

He pointed at the little building we were in front of. It was a restaurant called _La Bella Italia_, a restaurant rumored to have the best Italian food in the area…and very expensive prices. "Oh, wow, Jasper. You don't have to do this. I mean..." I trailed off.

He looked at me like I was crazy. "Bella. Don't be ridiculous. The food at this place is supposed to be amazing, and you deserve the best." I blushed. "Now, wait here for a minute."

He got out of the car and came around to my side and opened the door. "Madame," he said as he reached his hand out for mine. I giggled and offered my hand. He helped me as I stepped out of the car and onto the pavement.

We walked into the restaurant and up to the hostess stand. "Reservations under Hale, please," Jasper said.

The hostess nodded her head and checked. "This way, sir." We followed her to a corner booth and sat down. "My name is Fran, and I will be your waitress tonight. What would you like to drink?"

Jasper looked at me. "Water for me, please," I said.

"Two waters," he said. The waitress nodded. "Now, Bella. What would you like to eat?"

I looked over the menu for a minute before deciding upon something. "Um…how about the prosciutto tortellini?"

Jasper looked down at his own menu. "That actually sounds really good. I think I'll get the same, and could you bring a basket of breadsticks, please?"

"Sure thing, hon," the waitress said, winking at him. _How could she? I mean, seriously._

We sat there in silence, looking at everything around us but each other. After a few minutes, Jasper spoke up. "Bella…umm…did you have a good day today?"

I laughed. "Yeah, I guess I did, if you count being Bella Barbie for Alice and Rosalie being part of a good day. Ugh," I grimaced.

"You don't like the whole made-up aspect of being a girl?" he grinned. We paused our conversation for a minute while Fran put a basket of breadsticks in front of us.

I looked at him like he was crazy. "Not even. I prefer to not draw attention to myself, actually."

"That's impossible."

"What do you mean?"

"You're beautiful, Bella," he stated simply.

"No, I'm not, Jasper," I said blushing. I looked down at the table. "I mean, I know that I'm pretty, I guess, but not beautiful."

"Bella. Look at me." He paused. "Please?" I looked up to his face. "You don't see yourself clearly. You are so much more than pretty."

He opened his mouth to say something else but our waitress came back with our food. She placed our steaming plates in front of us with a flourish. "Enjoy, you two," she said with a smile.

"Thank you," we said in unison.

We started eating and silence filled the air around us, being interrupted only by the beautiful classical music being played by the string quartet in one the alcoves near us. The whole atmosphere was almost magical, except for the awkward silence that consumed the rest of meal.

We both finished our meals at the same time and Jasper spoke up first. "Would you like dessert, Bella?"

I looked at him and said, "Uh…"

"I was thinking that if you do, we could go by the ice cream parlor and get some ice cream…or if you don't want to…" he trailed off.

"I would love some ice cream, Jasper."

He smiled and said, "Ok, let me get the check and then we can go." He looked for the waitress and she noticed, so she came over.

"Can I help you, sweetie?" she asked warmly.

"Yes. May we please get our check?" Jasper asked.

"Sure thing. Are you two sure you don't want any dessert?"

"No, thank you," he said.

"Ok. I'll be right back then. I hope you two had a great time here tonight," she said with a smile.

"We did, thank you," I said.

She left and Jasper looked at me. "Did you have a good time, Bella?"

"Yes, Jasper. Thank you so much for tonight," I smiled.

"Well, the night's not over yet," he grinned. Fran brought our check to us and Jasper paid for it. We stood up, put our jackets on, and headed outside toward the car.

Jasper followed me to my side of the car and opened the door for me. "Thank you," I murmured.

He walked over to his side, got inside, and started the car. "So, this sounds really dumb, but do you know of anyplace close that has ice cream?"

"Sure. Dawson's Parlor has the best ice cream ever," I said, now excited. "You just follow this road, down to the stop light. Turn left, follow it to Potter Street, and then turn right on Witter Avenue. It'll be on your left." He nodded his head. "You're going to flip. Dawson's is famous for their ice cream," I said with a smile on my face.

Jasper grinned. "I'm glad then." He followed my directions and soon we were pulling into the parking lot of Dawson's. I was practically jumping up and down in my seat; I was so excited.

"Wow, you must really love ice cream," Jasper laughed.

I nodded my head. "Yeah. One summer I worked here and so I got free ice cream every day, and there was this one day that I decided to mix things up and get a Triple-Decker Hot Fudge Sundae. It ended very badly. I was practically bouncing off the walls. My best friend Jill was with me at the time and videotaped most of it. Especially at the end of the night…that's when I crashed."

"Crashed how?"

"You know, the sugar rush and crash thing. Where you have so much sugar that you burn it off and then you pass out at the end of the night because it was too much for you? That was only the first time, though. Jill and I designated the Fridays this past summer as Ice Cream Fridays. We would come up here and get a Triple-Decker, and then we would go back to one of our houses and party all night," I smiled, remembering how great the past summer had been.

"That sounds like fun," Jasper smiled. I just nodded. "Do you mind if we get our ice cream and head down the street to those benches? That way we could talk?"

"Sure. That's no problem."

We got out of the car and walked inside the ice cream parlor. Jasper was amazed at how many different flavors that Dawson's offered. He had trouble at first, but the man behind the counter offered his opinion on the Peanut Butter Explosion and Jasper tried it. He loved it instantly, so he ordered it while I stuck with the Birthday Cake Surprise. After Jasper paid for our ice cream, we headed outside and toward the wooden benches that he had seen earlier.

"So, Bella…"

"So, Jasper…"

"I'm sorry about that back at the restaurant. I just wanted to let you know how beautiful I think you are."

I blushed. _Great. I'm probably not that beautiful now. I probably look like a tomato now._ "Thanks," I whispered.

"Anyway, let's talk about something else," he said, sensing my discomfort. "Are you planning on going to the football game on Friday?"

"I think Alice wanted to. I mean, Emmett's going to be there, so I think he wanted us all to come see him show off," I grinned.

"That's great. We should all ride together, you know, to carpool."

"That sounds great. We could all meet up at my house, since Alice and Rosalie will already be there, and we can leave from there?" I asked.

Jasper nodded. "It's a date." We sat there in silence, comfortable silence this time, and ate the rest of our ice cream. "Are you ready to go home now?"

I nodded. "Thanks," I said as Jasper offered me his hand as we walked back to his car, which was one block away. He helped me into the car, then went over to his side and climbed in. He started the car, but before he pulled away from the parking lot he reached over and took my hand in his own. He seemed to ask with his eyes if it was ok, raising our entwined hands. I nodded. He grinned as he directed the car from Dawson's and toward home.

Nearly twenty minutes later and we were pulling up in front of his house. Jasper turned the car off and walked over to my side. Opening the door and taking my hand again, Jasper led the way as we walked in silence to my front door and stood on the door step for a moment before either of us said anything. "Bella," he started.

"Yes?"

"I had an incredible time, and I was hoping that you did, too."

"I did, Jasper. I had a wonderful time. Thank you so much."

His lips twitched as he leaned in. My heart stopped in my throat as I contemplated what was about to happen. I was about to receive a kiss. My first kiss. I didn't know if I was ready or not, but Jasper was leaning closer and closer. I guess my brain made up my mind because, before I knew it, I was turning my head slightly so that Jasper's lips brushed the side of my cheek rather than my lips. He pulled his face away from my own and I started fake-coughing so it wouldn't be so awkward.

"Are you ok, Bella?" Jasper asked, concerned.

I waved it off. "Oh, I'm fine. I must have swallowed wrong. I'm sorry." I felt so guilty about lying to him, but I couldn't help it. I wasn't sure if I was ready to be kissed. "Really, Jasper. I'm fine." I stood up on my tiptoes so I could place a kiss on his left cheek. "Thank you for such a great time. I'll see you tomorrow?" He only nodded as I turned around and opened the door. "Night," I said, wiggling the fingers on my right hand.

"Night, Bella," he said as he made his way back to his house.

I closed the door as he left and walked through the living room. Charlie was asleep on the couch, with the T.V. playing in the background. I walked over to him and shook his shoulder. "Dad," I said. "Dad, you need to get up and go to your room."

He grunted and opened his eyes. "Bells. Wha-what's going on?"

"Dad. It's 11:00 and you're asleep on the couch. You need to go upstairs to your own bed before you hurt your neck, OK?"

He only nodded as he got up off the couch and made his way upstairs. I heard his bedroom door shut as I made my own way up to my room. I turned the light on and closed the door as I made my way in the room. There were still all sorts of beauty products and clothing all over my bed from earlier, but I just pushed everything off onto the floor before I collapsed on my comfy bed.


End file.
